When the U.N. convened its 13th annual Conference of the Parties (COP) on climate change in steamy Bali in December, it held high expectations that the international community would be united over what course of action should be taken to curb the buildup of greenhouse gases. The event was carefully orchestrated from beginning to end, with an eye toward presenting to the world that a “consensus” had been reached on the need for a second Kyoto Treaty to replace the current one set to expire in 2012. Whatever dissent might yet remain would be given scant voice at this exotic extravaganza set on the sandy shores of the Indian Ocean. . . .
. . . The Bali conference ended much differently, one expects, than U.N. officials anticipated. Their opening speaker, Mr. Rudd, who was brought in to set a new tone soon found himself backtracking from any specific commitments to timetables on deep cuts in emissions – earning him some sneers and disfavor among global warming enthusiasts. China and India, whose emissions are now outpacing the rest of the world’s, still retained their unmovable opposition to crafting any treaty which would seek reductions on their part. Arnold Schwarzenegger never showed up because of budget issues back in California, and Leonardo DiCaprio was nowhere to be seen. Even the showcasing of Al Gore didn’t seem to move matters along substantively, for while his appearance as a Nobel Prize winner was supposed to enhance the prestige of the U.N. cause, it was somewhat trumped when the Pope issued a timely statement urging caution be taken in the pursuit of scaling back emissions, particularly because of its impact on the poor. Only the announcement by the U.S. delegation that it would like to participate in crafting a 2009 agreement seemed to add new energy to the process, but it remains to be seen if such involvement helps or complicates matters from the purists’ perspective.
So Team Bali broke camp and left. It was a small shot in a big war, but seemed to have a greater impact than many would have anticipated. And for those who were part of this high profile event, it will undoubtedly carry with it many lessons for future campaigns, along with memories certain to be nurtured for years to come.
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